[Jedi]

The three of them sat down, ready for the adventure that awaited them. Clyde was fastening his seat belt far too tight for him to breath, just in case they crashed. Blinky was singing again, though at room volume. That didn't stop other bus patrons from glaring at her in annoyance. "I hope we don't get in an accident. Did you know it's more likely to die by bus than by plane?" Blinky threw her are around him, saying "Don't worry, Clyde. We'll be fine. It'll be fun." She immediately went back to singing, though this time she actually started singing lyrics. The lyrics were horribly wrong, but no one made way of correcting her. "That's what everyone says before they die."

[Kitsumi]

It was becoming clear that Artemis was going to have to show plenty of patience on this trip. "I promise we aren't going to die," she said to Clyde as she buckled her own seatbelt. "And Blinky, could you maybe sing in your head? If we get thrown off the bus, we won't be able to go on our adventure, remember?" She was wondering if maybe fixing the Cheerwockee's headphones had been a bad idea. "This is going to be a very long ten hour trip," she mumbled to herself.

[Jedi]

Clyde huffed a sigh of relief, though it was short lived, as he was still worried that something bad would happen. Blinky simply nodded, then began humming quietly to herself. She didn't know if anyone else could hear her, but she was trying to be quiet. "Thank you for making her quiet," said Clyde. "I usually don't know how to. But I'm still worried that we're not safe."

Periodically during the next hour, Clyde would sigh or Blinky would sing a little bit out loud before remembering what Art had said. After the first hour, Blinky became hungry. "Hey Art, do you have anything to eat on you?" Clyde huffed a little. "I knew we should've gotten something to eat before we left."

[Kitsumi]

Despite her growing frustration, Artemis forced a smile. "Well, if we do happen to get in an accident, I'll let you use me as extra cushion to soften the blow for you." Hopefully her joke would help Clyde lighten up. Sadly, she had the feeling that wouldn't be the case.

The woman tried to nap, but it was hard to sleep on a crowded bus with two odd Wockee's so nearby. When her companions showed signs of hunger, Artemis pulled out her backpack. "Yeah, I figured we'd end up hungry. I brought a few sandwiches and a bag of chips to share. I didn't want to get any soda that might dehydrate us, so I brought water bottles too."

[Jedi]

"Thank you, Artee!" Blinky gleefully took the sandwich, eating it quickly. Clyde took the sandwich she provided for him as well, but ate it one slow bite at a time. "We'd be doomed without you, for sure." In only a short minute, Blinky had finished her sandwich and had begun munching on the chips. "You might want to save some for later, in case we get stranded." Listening to her brother, she stopped munching on the chips and started drinking her water. She stopped halfway so she'd have some for later. When Blinky was sure Artemis was done as well, she gave her a big hug. "That hit the spot. Thank you again."

[Kitsumi]

Rolling her eyes at Clyde's comment, Artemis revealed a second bag of chips as well as some chocolate mini donuts. "Don't worry, I've got us covered as far as snacks goes. This was just for lunch." The hug caught her off guard. Artemis wasn't used to being touched by people. But she found that, oddly enough, it wasn't an unpleasant sensation. Gently patting the Wockee's head, she tried not to let the reddening of her cheeks become obvious. "Erm, well, you're welcome. You guys paid for pretty much the whole trip, though. The least I could do was provide the snacks."

[Jedi]

Feeling Artemis pat her head, Blinky nuzzled against her, the same way a cat would it's owner. "I don't have any friends, but you'd definitely be the bestest friend I could ever ask for." Clyde didn't know why he still felt depressed. He added the comment, "it's probably because no one likes us. Especially me." He hunched over, resting his head in his palms until Blinky pulled him in for a hug as well. "I like you, brother. And I'm sure Artee does too."

[Kitsumi]

For some reason, the young woman found herself blinking back tears. "Wow, you really consider me a good friend?" These two had hardly known her, yet they were so accepting! "I think we are becoming best friends - all three of us. And yes, Clyde, that means that I like you."

It was kind of funny. Just the other day, she hadn't really thought she would ever get out in the world. Now, not only was she doing just that, but she also had a couple of friends to keep her company.

[Jedi]

Blinky held them both very close to her. She was happy to have them with her, especially since she was seeing something she hadn't in a long time. A small smile had perched itself on Clyde's face, which caused her to wriggle in excitement. She didn't bring it up, knowing that Clyde might not like her making a scene. But she was happy knowing he was happy.

Stomach full, she started to feel slightly drowsee. "I'm tired. I think I'm gonna take a nap." She leaned against Artemis, still not letting go of either of them. Clyde didn't make a big deal about it, but his face had returned to it's normal melancholy state. He fell asleep leaning on her, just as she'd fallen asleep leaning on Artemis.

[Kitsumi]

With the weight of two Wockee's leaning against her, there was no way for Artemis to find somewhere else to sit. She had planned on picking a different seat to stretch out, but that wasn't going to happen. "I guess I'll just take a nap where I am," she said quietly. Leaning her head against the window of the bus, she let her eyes fall shut. She thought it might be difficult to fall asleep with the two leaning on her. But as soon as her eyes shut, she began to drift off. Apparently, she was far more exhausted than she had realized.

[Jedi]

"Next stop, Whisper Forest!" called the bus driver. The two wockees stretched out and rubbed the sleep crust from their eyes. "Yay!" Blinky said mid-yawn. "We're almost there!" Clyde looked as if he needed more sleep, but didn't want to sleep any more. "I had the worst nightmare. I don't remember what it was, but it was bad." Blinky grabbed Artemis' arm and lightly shook it, whispering to her, "Hey Artee, we're almost there." Clyde began yawning also, trying to cover his mouth with both paws.

[Kitsumi]

"Wha? Huh?"

As Blinky shook her arm, Artemis lifted her head from it's position on the window. She had a trail of drool coming from one side of her mouth, and her hair was tousled from changing her position so often. "Oh, we're almost there?"

Her hands raised to wipe the sleep from her eyes. She grimaced as she found the wet trail of drool, hoping it wasn't too noticeable to everyone on the bus. "I'm surprised this bus even came to Whisper Forest," she mused. "After all, isn't it supposed to be dangerous? They're probably just going to drop us off on the outskirts."

[Jedi]

Blinky rushed out of the seat, practically knocking her brother over. “Sorry Clyde,” she said with a smile on her face. Clyde got up slowly, wearing a gloomy look on his face. “It's okay, I guess.” Clyde slumped forward, following his sister at a fraction of the pace.

When they stepped off the bus, Blinky looked wide-eyed. “Whoa,” she said. The trees were the size of skyscrapers, or at least in her eyes. She stepped away from the bus stop located at the edge of a small town, approaching the giant forest. “This is Whisper Forest? It's amazing!” Clyde stepped of the bus, “We'll be sure to get lost in there.”

[Kitsumi]

Artemis held up a hand, trying to steady Clyde as his sister rushed passed him. The last one off the bus, Artemis had plenty of time to look out the window and look around at what the forest looked like. It was a bit eerie, but also very pretty.

“It is pretty cool,” Artemis agreed with Blinky. “Don’t worry, Clyde. We won’t get lost.” She didn’t bother to mention that there were plenty of people who disappeared in the forest. Who knew what predators could be lurking? The thought excited the woman, although it may possibly frighten the two Wockees.

[Jedi]

Clyde tried to calm down at Artemis’ reassurance, but he was shivering at this point. Though his teeth were chattering out of fear, he managed to speak normally. “We should probably catch up with Blinky.” He stepped forward, one slow step at a time, but was no match for Blinky’s prancing. “C’mon guys. The forest isn't coming to us!” Again, Clyde tried to quicken his pace.